2019 -- S 0954

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LC002744

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF ROBERT ROSE, FORMER POLICE

CHIEF OF BLOCK ISLAND

     Introduced By: Senator V. Susan Sosnowski

     Date Introduced: June 05, 2019

     Referred To: Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar

     WHEREAS, Mr. Robert "Bobby" Rose, a beloved fixture within the Block Island

community and the former Police Chief of Block Island, passed away on May 17, 2019. He was

the loving husband of Judith Bonanno Rose; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Rose was born on October 28, 1940, a son of the late Cornelius and

Marion Rose. He was a life-long Block Island resident and was a descendent of Tormut Rose, one

of the original 1661 settlers of Block Island. He had been raised on a farm, which instilled into

him a tireless work ethic, a trait for which he was known for his entire life; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Rose graduated from Block Island School in 1959, and shortly

thereafter began working for the Block Island Power Company. In 1962, he joined the United

States Air Force and served our nation with honor and integrity. He rose to the rank of Sergeant,

was awarded the Airman of the Month Award, and served as the head of the liquid oxygen

missile support plant on Johnston Atoll in the Pacific during the Vietnam War; and

     WHEREAS, After leaving military service and receiving his Honorable Discharge, Mr.

Rose married the love of his life, his wife Judith, and together they raised a family. From 1967 to

1970, he served as the Police Chief of Block Island where he was, at age 27, the youngest Police

Chief in the State of Rhode Island. In recognition of his exemplary service as Police Chief, he

earned the much loved moniker of "Chief", an honorary term by which he was known for the rest

of his life; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Rose was also an avid and talented home builder. In 1972, he

established "Rose Enterprises" and through the years, he designed and built more than 100

custom homes. Additionally, he constructed numerous important commercial buildings including

The Island Free Library, the Block Island Medical Center, Ballard’s Inn, The Overlook, The Rose

Farm Inn, and Payne’s Harbor View Inn; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Rose and his wife developed their family farm into the present-day

Rose Farm Inn, where they preserved the rolling hills of the farm as open space for everyone in

the community to enjoy. Throughout his entire life, Mr. Rose was dedicated and devoted to his

beloved community of Block Island and would do anything necessary to protect and nurture its

natural wonders and to help those living there to be safe and to prosper; and

     WHEREAS, In addition to his wife, Mr. Rose leaves behind his three children, Robert

Rose, Jamie Rose and her husband, Peter Helstrom, and William Rose and his wife, Lisa, and

their three children, Justin, Chad and Cassie. He also leaves behind his granddaughter, Brenna

Rose, his brother, Lawrence Rose, and his sister, Janice Burke. He was predeceased by his infant

daughter, Johanna, his infant brother, William, and Brandon Hetherington; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Rose will be long remembered for his service to our nation and the

community of Block Island. He was a devoted family man and a caring friend, and his loss is

grievous but he will live on forever in the hearts and minds of all who knew and loved him; now,

therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby expresses its condolences to the Rose Family on the passing of Robert Rose; and be it

further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mrs. Judith Bonanno Rose and Family.

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LC002744

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